Go Tell it on the Mountain (Advent 5)
By Elizabeth Schmucker
1. While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night,
Behold throughout the heavens,
There shone a holy light:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.
2. The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Saviour's birth:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.
3. Down in a lowly manger
Our humble Christ was born
And God send us salvation,
That blessed Christmas morn:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.
4. When I am a seeker,
I seek both night and day;
I seek the Lord to help me,
And He shows me the way:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.
5. He made me a watchman
Upon the city wall,
And if I am a Christian,
I am the least of all.
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.[1]
These past couple weeks of Advent, we have prepared ourselves for Christmas through looking at Christmas and Advent hymns. Through Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor, we learned that Christmas is glorious because Jesus came out of God’s love. Through In the Bleak Midwinter, we learn that Jesus came to save us out of the bleakness of our lives. Through Joy to the World, we learned that the joy of Christmas comes because Jesus sacrificed himself for us when every other sacrifice was insufficient. Through O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, we learned that despite a broken world, we have hope of restoration.What now can we do on this Christmas day? Like the refrain of this particular hymn, we should “go tell it on the mount that Jesus Christ is born”. This joy we have in Christmas is not one to be kept hidden to oneself. Rather, we should share it with all people alike so they all may learn the joy of Jesus Christ.“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been give me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.’” Matthew 28:18-19. [2]This blog post ends a series which used different hymns to partake in Advent and to help staff and readers alike prepare for Christmas.
Want to know more about Elizabeth? Read her bio here.
[1] complied by John Wesley Work, Jr. (1865)[2] Matthew 28:18-19 (ESV)
